Dr. Arne Asplund invented the Defibrator

Defibrator

The defibrator is a thermo mechanical pulping refiner in which the pulp material, such as wood chips, is ground in an environment of steam between a rotating grinding disc and a stationary disc each with radial grooves that provides the grinding surface...

 pulping refiner and the defibrator-method (also called Asplund-method) for pulping wooden chips in 1930s. His invention resulted in the company AB Defibrator in Stockholm

Stockholm

Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

 which was merged with Sunds AB to form Sunds Defibrator in 1979.

Asplund was rewarded the Gold medal (Guldmedaljen) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...

(IVA) in 1947 for the invention and his further development of the defibrator-method for pulping wood and other fibre rich materials. He was later rewarded the Great gold medal (Stora guldmedaljen) from IVA in 1969 for his efforts on defibration technology.

Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award

The annual Arne Asplund Mechanical Pulping Award, was established in 1985 to commemorate Asplund’s contributions to the pulp and paper industry.